Christian Families Flee Pakistan Over ‘Blasphemy’ Accusations

There was uncertainty Monday, September 16, about the whereabouts of dozens of Christian families who fled their homes in a village near the Pakistani city of Lahore after a local pastor was accused of blasphemy against Islam’s Prophet Muhammad, representatives said.

Minority Christians pay a high price for their faith in Christ, rights activists say.

The tensions began last month when Pastor Sattar Masih, 37, was accused of saying that Muhammad was “a brutal man who killed innocent people” said the news service of Open Doors, a group supporting Christians persecuted for their faith.

Masih denies the accusations, saying he didn’t make derogatory remarks about Islam or its Prophet.

Sunnis always claim that their version of Islam is tolerant and allows minorities full rights to practice their religion.

The reality in places like Pakistan is different where innocent people, whether non-Muslims or members of Muslim minorities, are persecuted for their beliefs. They do not have any protection from the state or recourse to justice through the courts. In fact, the state protects the persecutors and not the persecuted and the courts fail to take any steps to protect them.

Here is the latest example of mob rule where a Christian pastor is ordered to appear before Sunni clerics to answer charges of blasphemy rather than being properly charge in a court of law and allowed to defend himself.